Author: Susan Stigant
Affiliation: Director of Africa Programs, USIT
Organization/Publisher: United States Institute of Peace
Date/Place: December 3, 2020/USA
Type of Literature: Congressional Testimony
Word Count: 3515
Link: https://www.usip.org/publications/2020/12/unfolding-conflict-ethiopia
Keywords: US, Red Sea, Ethiopia, TPLF, The Horn of Africa
Brief:
This Congressional Testimony is a testimony by Susan Stigant, director of Africa Programs at the US Institute of Peace, presented on December 03, 2020, at the House of Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights and International Organization.
While the main theme of the testimony centralized upon warning about the consequences of the war, the pitch honed in upon calling the US to recalibrate its policy towards Ethiopia. Although humanitarian crisis is not a new phenomenon in Ethiopia, the heavy cost of violence has culminated into ethnic atrocities as a consequence of the last war. The outbreak of covid-19 and the inherited ethnic conflicts would jeopardize the security of the Horn of Africa if serious policies are not taken. Thereby, to make an end to the Ethiopian war, the US and other key players have to do everything possible to stop the war; diplomatic and direct contacts are needed to prevent the escalation of the war; a humanitarian response should take place while an investigation is really needed to deter further violations and opening a path towards justice; opening and safeguarding an inclusive space for conversation about the transition.
By: Imad Atoui, CIGA Research Associate
